Stairs for Days.

Posted on August 13, 2013 by megolina

So, Arizona is hot. In case you weren’t aware of that I thought I’d let you know. Unless you decide to get up at like 5 or 6 AM to get your run in outside, it is pretty miserable. I was NOT feeling the 5 AM wakeup call today, so I wondered over to my sister’s house to use her stair mill. She has one at her house…legit, right? I know. So awesome. I pounded out fifty minutes of my stair intervals, and boy was I schweaty after.schweatyLet’s just say I’m not one of those, run with your hair down and your makeup on kind of girls. If you are looking for a killer workout on the stair mill try this pattern on for size. 2 minutes at a moderate to high intensity, 2 minutes at a high intensity, 1 minute recovering at a low to moderate intensity. Repeat as many times as you can until your sweat is dripping so much that it’s running into your eyes. 🙂 My sis and I are planning on getting up tomorrow at 6 for an early morning, pre-shopping run. Cross your fingers that we don’t melt! xoxoxo

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Resetting Your Habits to Help You Lose Weight Episode #2

Posted on August 12, 2013 by megolina

Weight loss is something that I deal with daily, which is why I want to continue with some tips to help reset your habits to improve weight loss. Click HERE for Episode #1.

  1. Dejunk. When you are trying to lose weight, or simply just work on your health and fitness goals, setting yourself up for success is important. I know we’d all like to think that we have fantastic will power, and some of you probably do. However, the truth of the matter is that if you are surrounded by temptations, you will be highly likely to give into them. So, unfortunately what I’m telling you is to get rid of unhealthy foods. Go through your fridge, your freezer, and your pantry. Instead, fill your shelves with good food choices that will help your reach your goals. 
  2. Use smaller plates. Sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I bet some of you have that same problem. It’s like when you go to Cafe Rio and get a salad the size of your bathtub. One “serving” of something doesn’t necessarily mean one “order” of something. So, instead of using a platter to serve up your meals, use a smaller dish. You will be more likely to eat sensible portions instead of overeating like so many do.
  3. Pay attention to your stomach, not your head. Intuitive eating is not something that is easy. We love food so much that we could probably eat all day, and detrimentally, many people do. Some people overeat so frequently that they no longer know how to detect their own hunger cues. This is not a place you want to be in. Try to key into your own intuitions with regards to food. Learn when enough is enough. Eat slower, and allow yourself to feel full. Don’t go for seconds until you have been able to assess if you are full or not. If you aren’t full, reach for seconds of the best options…veggies and protein.
  4. Snack. While snacking can be somewhat excessive, and can cause individuals to overeat when it is done mindlessly. It can also be a helpful way to lose weight. Individuals who eat five to six smaller meals per day tend to be more successful with their weight loss. The key to this is eating the right kinds of snacks. Click HERE for some tips on healthy snacking.
  5. Know your weaknesses. This goes hand in hand with #1 on the list. When you are dejunking your pantry and your fridge, know which foods are going to set you into a tailspin of overeating. For example…I know a huge weakness of mine is sugar. If it’s there, it’s pretty likely that I will eat it. So, I do better if I just keep it out of my house altogether. Everyone is different. Some people may know that their weakness is portion control. For these people, the best thing that can be done is portioning out food right from the get go. A good snack of popcorn can go awry if you eat the entire bag. So, right away, portion out your food. Be aware of what makes you tread to close to the line of temptation! Remember, set yourself up for success not failure!
Posted in Lifestyle | Leave a comment

Very Pinteresting

Posted on August 11, 2013 by megolina

I love Pinterest. Who doesn’t these days, right? It is such an awesome way to find new ideas for healthy recipes. I quite frequently will browse through my pins to try and shake up what I am eating. You can follow my Healthy Recipes board and my Paleo-rific  board to see what delicious ideas I’ve been pinning. Here are a few of the recipes I found today that I’m dying to try!

Screen shot 2013-08-11 at 5.23.00 PMSouthwestern Grilled Sweet Potato SaladScreen shot 2013-08-11 at 5.24.05 PM Avocado Egg SaladScreen shot 2013-08-11 at 5.26.19 PM Yummy Grilled Zucchini Screen shot 2013-08-11 at 5.26.37 PMMini Pepper Chicken Nachos Screen shot 2013-08-11 at 5.27.05 PMChicken with Garlic Balsalmic Tomatoes Screen shot 2013-08-11 at 5.27.44 PMand Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls with Coconut Butter Frosting

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment

Simple Chest & Triceps Circuit

Posted on August 11, 2013 by megolina

Yesterday I drove from Provo to Gilbert. It was my chest and triceps day, and I knew that my time was going to be limited with regards to my workout. I wanted to do my cardio intervals as well as my lifting, but I knew it was going to be tight. SO…I combined them. This workout was simple, but it was tough. It had me sweating! It went as follows…chesttricepsFor the sprint, just go as quick as you can. I used 20 lb DB’s for the chest flies and 30 lbs on the cables for the triceps press downs.

On a different note, I spent the last week with my mom and my sister that was in town from Austin. It was SO much fun. We were going non-stop.  Now I get to spend the week in Arizona with my mom and my other sister and her fam! I couldn’t be happier. I’ll leave you with a few photos from the week…just cause I can. alpineslide alpineslide2 bridalveil1 bridalveil2 bridalveil3 parkcity1 parkcity2

Posted in Workouts | Leave a comment

You Should Try the Whirley Pop!

Posted on August 8, 2013 by megolina

So, as you all know I am popcorn obsessed. It is just so dang good…and it’s a healthy snack that doesn’t break the bank calorically. My friend Amanda introduced me to a life changing device that basically makes the best popcorn I have ever had. It’s called a Whirley Pop. Ever heard of it? I hadn’t. IMG_5364  It is a stove top popcorn maker that allows you to pop delicious air popped popcorn that tastes like heaven. It is really simple to make too. Not only can you make awesome sea salt popcorn, which is my favorite, but you can make kettlecorn  and Cinnamon popcorn as well which is to die for! You can basically create whatever you’d like! IMG_5365IMG_5369 My family has all become equally obsessed with this awesome contraption, and everyone now owns their own Whirely Pop. I started out using olive oil to make popcorn, but someone suggested I try making it with coconut oil, which is life changing. So. Dang. Good. Try it.

SEA SALT POPCORN:

  • Ingredients: 1-2 TBS coconut oil, 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, sea salt to taste. 
  • Directions: Place your coconut oil in the Whirley Pop and turn the stove on medium high. Put 3-4 popcorn kernels in to test the heat. When the kernels pop, you are ready to pour in your remaining kernels. Stir the Whirley Pop until the popping subsides. Pour into a bowl and salt to taste.

KETTLE CORN:

  • Ingredients: 1-2 TBS coconut oil, 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, a dash of salt to taste.
  • Directions: Place your coconut oil in the Whirley Pop and turn the stove on medium high. Put 3-4 popcorn kernels in to test the heat. When the kernels pop, you are ready to pour in your remaining kernels. Stir the Whirley Pop until the kernels begin to pop. When this happens, pour the sugar into the Whirley Pop. Be careful of flying kernels because they can be VERY hot! The popping will stop as the sugar melts, but keep stirring until the popping begins again and then the popping subsides. Pour into a bowl and salt to taste. 
  • To make this into cinnamon sugar popcorn, you simply have to add some cinnamon to the sugar before you pour it in. SO GOOD! whirlyDon’t worry. We love this thing so much at my place that Amanda bought me my own. Isn’t she the best? We now have the capacity to feed an army with popcorn. Yesssss.

 

Posted in Recipes | 4 Comments

July Jams Mix Giveaway Winner!

Posted on August 5, 2013 by megolina

Congrats to this month’s winner of the mix giveaway! Suzanne said…winnerThat is definitely something to get you motivated! Email me at megolina21 at gmail.com and I’ll get you your tunes! xoxoxo

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Today we “Hunted the Y”

Posted on July 30, 2013 by megolina

My sister is in town, which means all sorts of family fun! Today we decided to hike Y Mountain, which is surprisingly steep for a one mile hike, but so worth it once you reach the top! The view is awesome. My littlest nephew kept saying, “We’re going to hunt the Y!” So cute.  yhike2It was a perfect day for our hike! A little bit overcast and breezy. yhike3My nephew took this really cute pic of me…bah haha. False. yhike1I will try to never make that face again. K? K. yhike4We had so much fun, and my sweet little family did AWESOME. I love when we get to be active together! A healthy family is a happy family! yhike5If you haven’t “hunted the Y” yourself yet, you should totally do so ASAP. It’s a great workout, and an even better view! There are so many great ways to keep your family active and healthy, and you will make some AWESOME memories doing so! So, get out there and get moving!

If you haven’t entered the July Jams Mix Giveaway click HERE to do so! You have until Saturday. 🙂

Posted in Lifestyle | 1 Comment

July Jams Mix Giveaway 2013

Posted on July 28, 2013 by megolina

Music and summertime just go together, don’t you think? There isn’t anything better than driving with the windows down and your favorite jams playing. New music is also another way to keep me pumped at the gym, and I’m sure you probably feel the same way. This month’s playlist has some awesome new tunes…julyjams2013

  • All Night – Icona Pop
  • #Beautiful feat. Miguel – Mariah Carey
  • Lose Your Soul – Dead Man’s Bones
  • Odd Look feat. The Weekend – Kavinsky
  • Blurred Lines feat. T.I & Pharrell – Robin Thicke
  • Take Back the Night – Justin Timberlake
  • Get Lucky feat. Pharell Williams – Daft Punk
  • I Love It – Icona Pop
  • Burn – Ellie Goulding
  • Holy Grail feat. Justin Timberlake – Jay-Z
  • Come & Get It – Selena Gomez
  • We Can’t Stop – Miley Cyrus
  • How Come You Don’t Want Me – Tegan & Sara
  • Hearts Like Ours – The Naked and Famous
  • I Want Crazy – Hunter Hayes
  • Safe With Me – Sam Smith
  • What Is Love – Jaymes Young

To enter to win this mix, you know the drill…
1) Become a subscriber and leave a comment letting me know that you are one!
2) For an additional entry…leave a separate comment telling me what is currently keeping you motivated!
3) For more additional entries…tweet about the giveaway, facebook it, blog about it, instagram it, pin it, etc. and leave a separate comment for each telling me you did so!

Good Luck! The contest will end Saturday August 3rd at midnight! The winner will be announced on Sunday, August 4th. To see previous mixes, click HERE.

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Pizza Pizza! Cauliflower Pizza Crust Take 2

Posted on July 25, 2013 by megolina

Last night I was with my mom and she mentioned she wanted to try the cauliflower pizza crust that I whipped up a few months ago. She had a bunch of cauliflower and some veggies on hand, and so we decided to make it for dinner. I LOVED it when I made it last time, and it turned out even better this time. pizza1We doubled THIS recipe, and it made a pizza the size of a small cookie sheet. We topped it with pesto, sliced tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, some pepperoni on my dad’s portion, and some part-skim mozzarella. It turned out AMAZING. How amazing you may ask?
pizza2 Well, my dad is not always keen on the healthy endeavors that my mom and I like to try with our cuisine. He was more than thrilled (and a little bit surprised) when he came home to see we were having pizza for dinner. I’ll be honest, pizza isn’t usually on our menu of grilled chicken and veggies. The dinner conversation went something like this…

  • Dad: “Wow. This pizza is delicious.” 
  • Me: “It totally is.” (I don’t think I really said totally, but I’m sure it was something to that extent.)
  • Mom: “We had a bunch of left over cauliflower, so we decided to use it.”
  • Dad: (In confusion) “Then why didn’t you use the cauliflower?”
  • Mom: “We did. You’re eating it”
  • Dad: “Huh? I don’t see it.”
  • Mom: “The pizza crust. It’s made out of cauliflower.”
  • Dad: “No way. Is it mixed into the dough?”

You get the gist. My dad couldn’t believe that he wasn’t eating a normal thin crust pizza dough. Proof that this pizza is bomb, and you should try it.

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment

Beat the Heat – Safe Summer Exercise

Posted on July 23, 2013 by megolina

Soooo…It’s like 500 degrees in Provo. That is not a complaint. It is a fact. I complained about how cold it has been ALL winter long, and so I vowed that I would NOT complain about the heat. I have made it a point not to do so. I love warmth, light, sunshine, and summer. I don’t love back sweat after I just got ready and I’m driving to work in my car. Again…not complaining, just factual information. I DO love summer mornings. In fact, there is nothing I love more than a run in the early morning summer hours. I do not love when I see people outside in 105 degree weather, out for a run. I think they are crazy. I realize that some people think they are super tough braving the heat in such a way. However, did you know that exercising outside in extreme heat can actually be dangerous for you? Well, it can.

Our bodies tend to be warmer than the environment that surrounds them. When it is too hot for the body, it releases sweat as a mechanism of cooling itself and staying in the safe zone as far as body temperature is concerned. Individuals who exercise in extreme heat are putting their bodies at risk of heat stroke, heat exhaustion, loss of fluid, and dehydration. When the body gets to a point where it can no longer cool itself down, these issues become a problem. As stated HERE, “Signs of heat exhaustion include general fatigue, weakness, nausea, dizziness, muscle cramps, and an increase in body temperature. Temperatures above 104, an inability to sweat, acute respiratory distress, and loss of consciousness can be signs of heat stroke, which is much more severe and can lead to death.” This means that exercising in extreme heat doesn’t necessarily mean your tough, it may just mean you are asking for problems. The following suggestions may help you to stay cool and healthy when you are “sweating like a toasted cheeser.”

  1. Go indoors. I know, I know, I KNOW…so many of you hate to workout inside. However, if you want to be smart about your health, going indoors may be the best option. Mix up your workouts by going to some classes, doing some interval training, or lifting some weights. If you don’t have a gym to go to, find a local indoor track or simply do a circuit interval routine in your living room. 
  2. Get up earlier. If you insist on being outside, rip yourself out of bed before the temperatures are too extreme.
  3. Wait for the sun to go down. You can also exercise after dark. However, waiting until 9 or 10 PM to workout may mean it doesn’t end up happening.
  4. Go for a swim. I don’t know about you, but for me…heat = pool. Swimming laps is an awesome way to burn some serious calories, and it will definitely cool you down.
  5. Stay hydrated. If you must workout in the heat. do what you can to stay hydrated. Be SURE that you carry enough water with you.
  6. Dress appropriately. Wear light colored clothing that wicks away the sweat. Wear a hat to protect your face. Keep your clothing thin and minimal.
  7. Protect your skin. If you plan on being in the merciless sun to get your sweat on, you may want to put on some waterproof sunscreen.
  8. Take it slower. If you want to workout outdoors when it’s super toasty, you may want to consider slowing down your pace, so your body doesn’t overheat.

Basically…Be smart! Kapeesh? In other news…I may or may not have found the shoes of my dreams. These Nike Flyknit trainers are absolutely the most comfortable shoes ever, and I LOVE how bright they are! I recommend them.flyknit

Posted in Workouts | Leave a comment